A judge has instructed President Donald Trump’s administration to take action regarding its impact on immigration policy in the U.S.
This order adds clarity to the restrictions from the Court of Appeals, which had allowed the administration to halt the hospitalization process for refugees, yet mandated that individuals already recognized as refugees in their travel arrangements to the U.S. must still be acknowledged.
In a recent hearing, the administration stated it needed to admit 160 refugees who were set to travel within two weeks of a prior executive order issued in January.
However, on Monday, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead rejected this argument, describing the government’s interpretation as, to put it mildly, “a diggeria pork of interpretation” at its worst.
Whitehead emphasized that one would need to “hallucinate” to find meanings where none exist in the “Appeal Decision,” pointing out the lack of any new text.
Initially, Whitehead ruled that Trump’s executive order had disrupted the hospitalization of refugees and likely breached the 1980 Refugee Act back in February, although this decision was overturned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals a month later.
“If the Ninth Circuit meant to set a two-week limit—cutting down the population from around 12,000 to just 160—it would have made that clear,” Whitehead noted.
“This court won’t engage in the government’s attempt to rewrite judicial outcomes to fit their needs.”
The lawsuit was filed by organizations including the World Service of Christian Group Churches, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and several individuals.
In a February lawsuit, these nonprofits argued that Trump’s orders left many in a state of uncertainty, as individuals preparing to travel were forced to sell all their belongings.
Resettlement for refugees had been a crucial pathway to eventual U.S. citizenship, a stance previously accepted by former President Joe Biden.
Trump’s campaign was characterized by hostility towards immigration policies, promoting aggressive deportation strategies, including military flights to repatriate individuals to Latin America.
